Rebrand Black Friday: The Purpose-Driven Brand Strategy for this Holiday Season

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) loom, purpose-driven brands face the annual challenge: How can you engage customers during the holidays while staying aligned with your brand’s values??

You can either lean into the discount frenzy and contribute to the enormous spike in consumption and waste, or miss out on the Black Friday trend entirely…right??

Nope! We’ll walk you through ways you can reclaim BFCM and share versatile examples from leading brands so you can keep customers happy and drive your mission forward (scroll to the bottom for a TLDR version of unique tips and ideas from our team of experts).

1. Educate Customers on the Impact of Black Friday

With over 380,000 tons of carbon emissions generated on Black Friday alone, and an estimated 80% of items bought on BFCM winding up in landfills, incineration, or low-quality recycling facilities, it’s worth noting the “flash sale” just isn’t worth it.?

Your brand can educate consumers by converting to Anti-Black Friday or Green Friday. Purpose-driven brands, like cosmetic company LUSH have leveraged an Anti-Black Friday stance to draw attention to overconsumption while also raising money for People vs Big Tech (PvBT). Instead of a BF sale, Lush’s big sale of the year comes a day after Christmas and is only offered in-store, which has proven to be good for business and the planet.??

Alternatively, brands can adopt Green Friday - an eco-friendly spin off that encourages mindful shopping, waste reduction, and time outdoors. For example, as part of their Green Friday initiative, sustainable clothing brand tentree will plant a tree for each item sold. They’re also releasing a limited-edition line of eco-friendly products made from upcycled materials, driving awareness around reforestation.?

REI has pioneered its version of Green Friday through an #OptOutside Campaign, which gives 15,000 employees Black Friday off and encourages everyone to spend time outdoors.?

2. Host In-Person Events that “Show Not Tell” Your Values?

Rather than keep the status-quo of buying online, meet your customers in-person - the holidays are all about connection and community anyway! Whether it’s via a pop up market, an eco-cleanup, or a community workshop, take the opportunity to build stronger relationships with your holiday buyers.

During the week of Black Friday, 宜家 invites customers to its stores to re-sell their used IKEA furniture and receive a cashback card in return. In effect, IKEA is demonstrating values of sustainability and a circular economy while rewarding customers - now that’s the spirit of giving.

Etsy is highlighting small creators with a curated “Support Local” gift guide, and this year, they’re organizing artisan pop-ups in multiple cities for Green Friday. The focus is on connecting customers with unique, handmade items in-person, offering an alternative to the mass-produced deals seen online.

3. Limited Drops and “Buy to Give” Campaigns Instead of Massive Discounts

Instead of offering deep discounts, Black Friday can be a great opportunity to launch exclusive, limited-edition products with a purpose. Consider donating a portion of each sale to environmental or social causes to encourage meaningful shopping. Frugi Organic Children's Clothing launched a ‘Buy One & We Donate One’ campaign, where for every item sold at sale price, Frugi donated an item to the charity Clemie’s Clothes to support families in need.

This year, agood company is celebrating (or boycotting) Black Friday by doubling the contributions of their foundation for the whole month of November. If you buy from their clothing line, which features organic cotton t-shirts and bamboo socks, you’ll be helping AGood provide twice as many emergency food kits to kids who need them the most via Save the Children.?

How Will Your Brand Approach BFCM 2024? With these strategies, your brand can connect with customers in a way that feels authentic and true to your mission. If you made it this far, here’s a summary of our ideas and alternatives for your BFCM strategy:?

• Host in-person events, especially aligned with brand values. Consider a food drive, a charity turkey trot, a nature walk, or sponsor a local vendor market. Make sure to incentivize attendance by rewarding attendees for checking-in on social media.
• Collabs with complementary products. Joint giveaways on social media drive cross-brand discovery; consider offering a partner brand's product as a gift with purchase over a certain threshold (and vice-versa).
• Stand for what you believe in. Increase your credibility by vocally declining to participate in BFCM's overconsumption. Use compelling storytelling to educate your consumers about why you won't be offering the discount they've come to expect from brands this week. Bonus: donate proceeds from sales to a grassroots charity that aligns with your values.
• Limited Drops. Drive urgency and exclusivity without relying on steep, time-limited discounts on existing SKUs. Instead, launch an exclusive product only for subscribers. Side benefit: you'll grow your email & SMS list!
• Build an Active Online Community. Use this opportunity to engage your customers in a competitive challenge that echoes the lifestyle of your brand.

Let’s make this holiday season a moment of conscious engagement rather than relentless consumption.